Ethiopian Survivor

All of today’s newspapers are carrying adverts for ‘Survivor Africa‘ which is – you’ve guessed it – the first African version of the hit “reality” TV show ‘Survivor’. Twelve self-publicists go to a desert island somewhere and get voted off one by one until there is only one etc etc.

The new African version, produced by mnet, broadcast on DSTV, includes an Ethiopian competitor – 27-year-old Metasebiya Yilma – also known as Meti.

The Ethiopian adverts for the series picture Meti in front of the rest of the competitors with the slogan: “Can Ethiopia survive the toughest challenge?”

Unfortunately it looks like the answer is going to be “No it can’t”. Meti is already back in Ethiopia – she was interviewed in Friday’s Sub-Saharan Informer, saying:

I came out a person with great values and much more respect for myself. Now nothing matters that much… Now I would not think that it is a big deal to be hungry. I have started valuing what I have.

Most of the series was filmed in advance. But, Harare’s Financial Gazette reports, “filming of the final stages, where the last two contestants battle it out for the prize money, was yet to be done”. So it looks like Meti didn’t get the US$100,000 prize.